I am the BIGGEST scaredy cat in the world, and you can clearly see my hesitation in both of these videos. Taking that plunge became a metaphor for some pretty significant shit I experienced this year. I didn't expect to make that jump when we arrived at the lower falls - I was actually adamantly against it. But then I sat at the edge of the pool for about an hour wondering to myself what was the point of traveling all this way if I wasn't going to continue challenging myself. I told myself to feel the fucking fear and doing it anyway. So I climbed up to that cliff and I was shaking so much. Actually, I stepped to the ledge of that cliff about 5 times before I finally made the jump. I told myself that I had taken all the steps that lead me to this point, and I couldn't couldn't undo them when I took them knowing where they'd lead. I was scared of getting hurt, but reminded myself that others before me had jumped too and not been injured. My friends and complete strangers were rooting for me, and when I asked if anyone could jump with me and hold my hand, one of the women on the cliff with me said that I needed to do it alone. She was right. Nobody took that plunge with me, but it was not lonely. I took that plunge by myself for myself, and that was all I needed. I acquired a small injury: I held onto my nose so hard when I jumped that I scratched the outside, so I was bleeding moderately when I surfaced. I note this because it's important for everyone to know that even when you're brave and you do something scary, you can still get hurt, but it's nothing you can't heal from. This wasn't the first time I've been hurt and it won't be the last. When I emerged everyone was clapping and one kind stranger even swam out to meet me and pull me in. One of the women who was coaching me even said that she saw how difficult it was for me to jump and she understood it was a big deal. I laugh when I watch these videos because I know that I look ridiculous. But I'm proud of myself because that day I did something that scared me and it didn't kill me. That day I fell more in love with myself because I validated my own bravery. 📹 credit: @elguapo323 and @cdelion#tbt#wcw